Monday, sources in the music business said that the seven members of the K-pop group BTS have signed new contracts with their agency, BigHit Music. All seven members of the group—RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook—were said to have recently signed new contracts with the agency.
In a filing with the government on Wednesday, HYBE Corporation, the parent company of BigHit, said that the board of directors had accepted a plan to renew contracts with the group. The deals were announced in a statement that said the group will “stay together in 2025 and beyond.”
In a press statement, BigHit Music said, “The board of BigHit Music all agreed to renew the exclusive contracts of BTS members RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook.” Chairman Band Si Hyuk, who is in charge of HYBE, said that if the contract is renewed, members who are currently in the military will finish their service and then start the contract time.
J-Hope, Jin, and SUGA are all serving in the military right now, and the rest of the group will soon join them. The agency said that the rest of the members’ plans to join will be made public in order before the end of the year. But it is important to note that the statement says they will announce the plans and dates for the members’ enlistment this year, not their own enlistments. And it’s still not clear if RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook will sign up for their service this year.
Several experts in the field said that Hybe’s contracts being renewed without any problems took away the biggest “risk” or doubt for the group. Yonhap News said that this means BTS can move forward with their plan to get back together in 2025 after taking a break to do their required military service.
The group’s first song, “No More Dream,” came out in 2013 on BIGHIT MUSIC. The boyband’s contract was renewed for the first time in 2018, a year before it was renewed again.
Even though some members aren’t working with BTS right now, the group is still breaking records and getting a lot of attention. At the moment, they are focused on their solo albums, which each member has been putting out before joining the military. J-Hope put out his first solo album, called “Jack in the Box.” Jin put out a song called “The Astronaut,” and SUGA put out an album called “D-Day.”
The other members are also working on their own projects. Jungkook, for example, will put out his digital song “3D” on September 29. Kim Tae-hyung is currently getting the word out about his first record, Layover. Jimin and Kim Namjoon have also put out their own solo albums, FACE and INDIGO, and worked on marketing efforts for Dior and Bottega Veneta, respectively.